title: Accommodative response under monocular and binocular conditions as a function of phoria in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The neurological linkage of vergence and accommodation is a factor which can affect accuracy of accommodation, is in turn associated with symptoms of near-related visual discomfort. The purpose of this study was to compare the accommodative response under monocular and binocular conditions in symptomatic and asymptomatic participants with different near phorias.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy students at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Iran (mean age: 21.2 ± 1.7 years; age range: 18 to 25 years) participated. The participants were divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic groups according to the convergence insufficiency symptom survey questionnaire score. The type and magnitude of the near dissociated phoria were determined using the prism neutralised cover test. The accommodative lag was measured by the 'monocular estimate method' (MEM) retinoscopy, at first under binocular and then monocular conditions. Testing distance was 40 cm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The accommodative lag in exophoric participants was lower under binocular conditions compared to monocular and in esophoric participants greater under binocular than under monocular conditions. The binocular accommodative response (AR) was greatest in participants with high exophoria at near vision and least in participants with esophoria at near vision (p < 0.001; one-way analysis of variance). The difference between binocular lag and monocular lag was significantly greater in symptomatic participants than in asymptomatic participants in both exophoria (p < 0.001) and esophoria (p = 0.009) (independent samples t-test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The near binocular accommodative response was related to near heterophoria. Higher levels of vergence accommodation, resulting in differences in lag under monocular and binocular conditions, may be a factor in near point asthenopia.
authors.affiliation: Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran. hmomeni_opt@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Momeni-Moghaddam
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Goss
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobhani
mesh_terms: D000065:Accommodation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001248:Asthenopia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D003290:Convergence, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D004948:Esotropia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005099:Exotropia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013285:Strabismus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology*; D015349:Vision, Monocular / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: CISS; accommodation; asthenopia; lag of accommodation; phoria